Cyclograph for testing metals



July 26 1949 E. R. MANN :zT/lu.` 2,477,384

CYCLOGAPH FOR TESTING METALS Filed Nov. 9, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet l July 25, 1949 l E. R. MANN r-:rAL 2,477,384

cYcLoGRAPH FOR TESTING METALS Filed Nov. 9, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 Sheets-Sheeat 5 In ni 1111111.

E. R. MANN El" AL CYCLOGRAPH FOR lTESTING METALS 4 INVENToRi/ 486 d? 22, BY MMA/Bu MWMW# llllll "VV".

July 26, 1949.

Filed Nov. 9, 1943 Unull """I Patented July 26, 1949 UNITED STATESI PATENT GFFICE CY CLOGRAPH FOR TESTING METALS Estle Ray Mann, Upper Montclair, and Harold Edward Beste, East Rutherford, N. J., assignors to Allen B. Du Mont Laboratories, Inc., Passaic, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application November 9, 1943, Serial No. 509,576 2 Claims. ((1175-183) 'This invention relates to a device for testing metals by passing them through an inductance coll and utilizing the effects thereby produced upon a high frequency oscillator that is modulated by low frequency oscillations. The modulated high frequency is rectied and the rectified signal is mixed with a portion of the original low frequency oscillations. The resultant signal is used to initiate a gaseous discharge device causln`gr relays to operate to actuate devices to separate the metals according to their physical properties.

It is well known that the effective resistance of a. coil carrying alternating -current and surroundlng a piece of metal depends on several factors, i. e. the D. C. resistance of the wire, and additional resistive component of the wires due to skin effect, which increases with frequency, and a resistive :omponent which represents the losses in the piece of metal due to eddy currents induced therein and losses due to hysteresis. It is equally well rnown that the composition and heat treatment if a piece of metal have a profound effect on the eddy current and` hysteresis losses thereof, the sum of which is known as the core loss, so that in indication of this loss may be used to detect iiierences in pieces of metal that have the same Jutward physical appearance.

If a piece of metal is placed in the field of a :oil in an oscillator circuit, the core loss must e supplied by the oscillator if oscillations are ;o be sustained. l If not, the oscillations will be iuenched or decreased in amplitude, if not en- ',irely stopped. This phenomenon, viz: the higher ;he losses, the lower the amplitude of oscillations, s utilized in the present invention.

A balanced `push-pull oscillator is provided vith a center-tapped, electrostatically shielded :oil (such a coil is described in U. S. Patent No. 2,404,185, issued July 16, 1946, and assigned to ',he same assignee as this application) which is connected between the grids of the oscillator yubes. This coil is of such dimensions that the iieces of metal to be tested may be inserted herein.

The frequency of the oscillator is determined )rimarily by the natural period of the coil and nay be in the range of 2000 to 5000 cycles, dexending on the size of the pieces to be tested, vhich dictates the dimensions of the coil.

This oscillator, hereinafter referred to as the iigh frequency oscillator, is plate modulated by ow frequency oscillations from a low frequency nscillator, the oscillations of which may be of he order of 103 or 105 cycles, which is not a muliple of the 60 cycle power line lfrequency.

Since this is a push-pull triode high frequency scillator, plate modulation results in a nonlnear modulation characteristic. As the ampliude of the high frequency oscillations decreases, he complex variation in the transconductance of these triodes with the plate currents decreases the eilect of the variation of the plate supply voltage on the instantaneous plate currents, which results in a modulation envelope decreased in amplitude an amount determined bythe decrease in amplitude of the high frequency oscillations. 'Ihus a denite correlationv exists between the amplitude of the high frequency oscillations and the amplitude of the modulation envelope. As previously indicated there is a correlation between the metallurgical properties of the metal pieces to be tested and the amplitude of the high frequency oscillations. The amplitude of the modulation envelope therefore correlates with the properties of the metal pieces to be tested.

The modulated high frequency is passed through suitable amplifiers andV filters to a demodulator. The output of the demodulator, which is of the form of the low lfrequency originally used'to modulate the high frequency oscillator is flltered to remove all traces of the high frequency,v amplified and mixed with a portion of the original low frequency taken directly from the low frequency oscillator. A phase shifter and amplitude controls are incorporated in the circuits between the low frequency oscillator and the mixer so that the output of the mixer can be reduced to zero by causing the two signals to be degrees out of phase and of equal amplitudes, with one specimen in the coil. Another `specimen having different characteristics, when inserted in the coil, will then cause the amplitudes and phase of these two signa... to be different, thus causing the output of the mixer to be appreciable. This output signal is then utilized as described above.

It has been found that with this invention an indication of minute differences in core losses can be detected, and by means of suitable sorting mechanisms, metal pieces may be rapidly sorted into groups in accordance with 4their metallurgical properties, such as heat treatment, case depth, etc., thus providing a rapid, non-destructive inspection method.

The invention may be 4understood from the description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of connections;

Fig. 2 is a diagram of a portion of the connecends of the load resistances 4' and 5 and ground. Condensers 1 and 8 of the saune capacitances are located between the plates Yof tube 2 and variable duplicate resistances g 4which are connected through adjustable contacts on these resistancesv to the grids of tube 2 and to opposite ends of inductance coil I6 of large diameter and short axial length which has its center-point II grounded.' The tube 2 is provided with cathedra-A biasing resistances I2 that are `connected to ground.

Condensers I4 and |5 couple the plates of tube 2 to duplicate gain control resistances I6. Sliding contacts I1 and I8 are provided on resistances le and are connected to the grids of .the .push-pull amplifier 28, the cathodes of which arey biased by resistances 2| connected to ground. A lead 22 from lead 3 is connected through resistance 23, and a condenser 24 is connected between the end of resistance 23 and ground. Load resistances l25 and 26 are provided between the resistance 23 and the plates of the tube 28. Coupling condensers 21, 28 and leads 3|, 32 couple the plates of tube 28 to the control grids of two pentodes. Inductances 29 and 38 are provided between the leads 3| and 32 and ground. The leads 3| and 32 extend to the control grids of pentodes '33 and 34, the cathodes of these tubes being biased by resistance 35 extending from them to ground. The tubes 33 and 34 are push-pull amplifier tubes with the resistance 36 providing proper potential for the screen grids of these tubes.

A lead 38 extends from lead 39, which is at a higher potential than lead 3, to load resistances 48 and 4| for the tubes 33 and 34. The output leads 42 and 43 from tubes 33,.and 34 extend to the vertical deflection plates 44 of cathode-ray tube 45, shown diagrammatically. This tube 45 is connected so that its cathode and grid are highly negative.

A beam-positioning network consisting of parallel resistances 46 and 41 is connected by sliding contacts on'these resistances through rethe midpoint cf which is grounded, are connected to potentiometers 8|, 82 which are provided with sliding contacts 83 .and 84 that are connected to the grids of a push-pull amplifier 85 orf which the cathodes are biased by resistance 86. The plates of amplifier '85. are connected to lead 3 through loading inductances 81, 88 which constitute the primary of a transformer 69, the secondary 88 of which is located in lead 3 beyond the lter consisting of resistance 8| and condenser 82.

The primary 81 of transformer 68 is coupled by condenser 85 to the grid 3E of triode |83 having a grid leak 81, and the corresponding cathodeprovided with a grid leak resistance. The cathode v of tube |81 is connected to the cathode of tube sistances 48 and 49 to the leads 42 and 43. Condensers 58 and 5| are connected between these sliding contacts and ground. One end of resistances 46 and 41 is connected by lead 53 to line 54, which extends from a source of positive potential which is half that of lead 3. Lead 54 extends to one end of resistances 55 and 58, which are part of the positioning network for the ver' |88, these cathodes being biased by resistance |89. The proper positive potential is applied through lead 39 to the plates of the balanced phase inverter comprising tubes |81 and |88 through like resistances ||8, and to the screen grids of these tubes through resistance ||2 so that signals of equal alternating potentials of opposite polarities, which have the frequency of the input signal, are taken off of the plates of these tubes in the known way and coupled by capacitances ||4 and ||5 to the horizontal deflection plates 44 of cathode-ray tube 45.

Lead ||8 extends from one of the cathodes of tube 28 (Fig. 2) and lead H8 extends from the cathode of tube |83 to an automatic sorting device shown in Fig. 3. Condenser II8 (Fig. 3) couples the lead I8 to a choke coil |22 4which is provided so as to by-pass or filter out any low frequency, thus leaving a high frequency signal with a low frequency envelope to be applied to the grid of tube |28. This tube has its cathode biased by resistance |2I.

A lead |23 extends to theplate of tube |28 l from a source of positive potential, and is prothrough resistance 66 and the primary 61 of a f vided with a filter consisting of condenser |24 and resistance |25. The load resistance of tube |28 is indicated at |26.

The condenser |21 couples the output of tube |28 to the plate of a diode rectifier I 28 across the resistance 28. A; high frequency lter net'- work |38 is provided for the current that is rectilied at |28. The output of this filter |38 is the low frequency sinusoidal envelope of the modulated high frequency signal that is fed to the tube |28. This output is fed to the grid of vacuum tube amplifier |3|, having a. grid leak |32 and a cathode biased by resistance |33.

The output of the tube I3! is coupled by condenser |34 to the' grid of tube |35 that is an im-V pedance transformer provided with grid leak |36 and with a cathode load resistance |31. The output across the load |31 is sinusoidal, and is of the same frequency as the low frequency modulation of the signal that is fed to the tube |28. Its wave form is that of the envelope of the high frequency fed to tube |28.

A signal form, of the same low frequency as' that which modulated the. signal that is fed in uns 5 at ||0. is coupled from the cathode of tube |00, Fig. 2, by lead andcondenser |40, Fig. 3, to the grid of triode |4| which has a grid leak |42 and has its cathode loaded by the primary |40 of the transformer |44 The secondary |45 of this transformer is center-tapped to ground as indicated at |40. vThis secondary constitutes a portion of a 180 phase-shifting device which in'- cludes thecondenser-|41 and variable resistance |40. i

The signal from the phase-shifter |45|40 is coupled by condenser |40 and lead |50 to a mixing network consisting of fixed resistances |52 andl variable resistance |53.' The output of the cathode-loaded tube |35 is also coupled to this mixing circuit. so that two voltages are thus impressed across this mixer, one of these voltages being the envelope voltage of the modulated high frequency from oscillator I that was rectified at |20, filtered at |30, and amplified at |3 and |35, and the other being the amplified low frequency voltage produced by the low frequency oscillator 01--10, amplified by amplifiers |00 and |4|, and taken oil of 'phase shifter |45|40 and coupled by condenser |49 and lead |50 to this mixer. The voltages applied to this mixer therefore have the same frequency and practically the same wave form, since thecircuits described cause little if any distortion. The amplitudes of these two voltages may be made equal to each other or they may be made considerably different by means of the gain controls in the circuits. Their phases can be matched as desired by the phase-shifting device |45|40. When their amplitudes are the same and their phases differ by 180, the output from the mixer |5||55 is zero with the contactY |54 at the center of resistance |53. This output varies with differences either in the amplitudes or in the phases of these two voltages.

The output voltage from the mixer |5||55 is fed to the grid of an amplifying tube |50 of which the cathode is biased by resistance |50. The plate load' resistance of this tube is shown at |00.

The output of tube |50 is used as follows: One portion passes through the filtering network |0|, consisting of resistances and capacitances. This network is adapted to reject the second harmonic of the low frequency output of the amplifier |58. This second'harmonic is found to be present when the first-harmonic is balanced to zero in the mixer `|5|-|55. Therefore, it is dei sirable to remove the second harmonic before amplifying the signal and applying it to a, cathode-ray tube for observation.

\ The output from network |0| is coupled by condenser |02 to the grids of the push-pu1l amplifier tubes |03 and |04 which are adaptedin a known way to provide signals of opposite polarities which are applied to the vertical deflection plates |00 of a cathode-ray tube |01. The beampositioning networks for this tube are shown at |00 and |00 with their connections to positioning potentiometers.

The output voltage of tube |50 is also coupled by lead and condenser |1| to the grid of thyratron |12 which has an adjustable grid bias resistance |12',one end of which is connected to a negative potential applied at the arrow. The plate ofthis thyratron is connected to the grid of triode |13, and its cathode is biased by resistance |14. The plate load of this triode |13 is the magnetic coil of a small relay |10 which operates a larger relay |11 connected to a power circuit |10. When the thyratron 12 lires because of suiiicient s voltage'being applied to its grid. the voltage at and potentials are so adjusted that when the also provided (Fig. 3).

thyratron |12 fires its plate voltage falls below the cathode voltage on the triode |10, the plate of this triode ceases to draw current, and the relay |10 opens. The larger relay |11 which is controlled by the relay |10 may be used to control a. circuit, not shown, for 'operating a sorting device for the specimens that are tested by passing them through the coil I0.

A resistance-inductance oscillator tube |00 is Its frequency may, for example, be 2000 C. P. S. The primary |0| of the transformer |02 is in the plate circuit of tube |00. The secondary |03 of this transformer is in the grid circuit of this tube. One end of this secondary |03 is connected to the grid of tube |00, and the other end is grounded. The cathode of tube |00 is biased by resistance |04.

The output from the oscillator |00|04 is adapted to be coupled through switch |0| by condenser |00 and resistance |01 to a push-pull amplifler comprising pentodes |00 and |00 connectedin a known way similarly to the tubes |03 and |04 so as to provide the signals of opposite polarity and of the frequency of oscillator |00|04 for the horizontal deflection plates |00 of the cathode-ray tube |01.

A switch |9| is provided to connect the pushpull amplifier I00|00 to the lead |02 which is connected to lead |50 in which a switch i9l' is located and ganged with switch |01. In this way provision is made for assuring a phase difference between the output of the phase shifter |45|40 and the signal out of amplifier tube |35. This is accomplished `by switching the ganged switches |0| and |0| from contacts a and a' to b and b' simultaneously. This puts the signal from the phase shifter |45-I40 on the vertical deiiection plates |00 of cathode-ray tube |01 and since the envelope signal of the same frequency from the tube |35 is lon the horizontal deilecting -plates |00 of this tube the phase angle can then be read directly by the pattern on the tube.

The operation is as follows:

(a) Adjust the grid of thyratron |12 to the cut-off point by moving contacter on resistor |12'.

(b) Put a specimen that has high core losses when subjected to alternating current fields in coil |0 of H. F. oscillator unmodulated and ad- :lust the feedback by adjusting resistances g that are connected to the grids bf tube 2 until oscillations are almost quenched as shown on cathoderay tube 45. V

(c) Remove specimen from coil l0 and substitute a good specimen and adjust gain by control |0 until practically full scale deflection is shown on cathode-ray tube 45. l

(d) Introduce a modulating voltage to oscillator |-|2 by increasing the gain of modulator 05 by means of control 0|-04 of this push-pull circuit to produce usually not more than about 50% modulation so that no objectionable amount of harmonics will be introduced into the signal.

(e) Adjust the outputvoltage of the mixer |5|-|50, Fig. 3, with no specimen in the coil |0,`by adjusting the phase shifter |45|40 and contact |54 on resistance |50 until the pattern nal from tube |58 is applied to the grid of thyral tron |12.

(f) A specimen to be tested is then introduced into the coil I0, thereby altering the circuit loss with a decrease in the-amplitude of the high frequency oscillations from oscillator I. These reduced oscillations are modulated y by low frequency oscillations from oscillator 61--18 through push-pull amplifier 85. The modulated signal is rectified at |28 and amplified by amplifiers |3| and |35 and fed to mixer |52|55. This rectified output no longer balances the output from phase shifter |45--I48 to the mixer |52-I 55 so that an output signal due to this unbalance will be applied to grid |54 of tube |58 and amplified and applied to the vertical deflection plates |66 of tube |61, causing the pattern thereon to be rectangular.

(g) When the output from tube |58 is suiilcient to trigger the thyratron |12 due to the increase in potential on its grid, caused by passing a sample through coil i0, this thyratron conducts and decreases the potential on the grid of tube |13 and cuts oif the current through coil |16 thus causing the relay |11 to open. These relays may be used to control circuits indicated by block I|95 to separate the specimens automatically into groups as they pass through the coil lll in accord- .ance with their core losses, or this may be done by hand as the operator watches the signals on the cathode-ray tube |61 when the different specimens are placed in the coil I0.

(h) It will be clear from the description that if the amplitude of the signal from the mixer ||'I53 is not sufficiently large to trigger `the thyratron |12 it will not conduct and the relay |16 will remain open. The setting ofthe grid bias of thyratron |12 by adjusting the contactor on resistance |12' will determine what output from the plate of tube |58 will trigger the thyratron |12 and cut oi the current through relays |16 and |11. By decreasing this grid bias a smaller output from the mixer will trigger the thyratron |12. Then specimens in coil I0 which almost quench the high frequency oscillations will trigger the thyratron; and those which have less quenching effect, due to a smaller amount of core losses, will not trigger it.

As shown on the drawings, cathode-ray tubes are connected to various critical portions of the circuit at all times, so as to facilitate adjustment of the various controls and provide the operator with visual indications that all circuits are in correct adjustment.

'Ihe differences in core losses of the metal pieces which are to be tested by this device may be due to a variety of conditions resulting from the sort of metals used and the heat treatments or metallureical process which they have undergone. In some cases the specimens which have high core losses, and therefore have large quenching effect onthe high frequency oscillator I, are the desirable ones. It is obvious that they can be separated from' the others by utilizing this device.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of comparing the metallurgical and physical properties of metal pieces according to the correlation of said metallurgical and physical properties with the core losses of said pieces at a fixed frequency, which comprises varying the amplitude of oscillations of an oscillatory circuit by placing said metal pieces one at a time in the field of a coil which is a part of said oscillatory circuit, the amplitude of said oscillations varying according to the core loss characteristics at said frequency, modulating said oscillations at a lower frequency, the amplitude of the modulation varying in accordance with the amplitude of said oscillations, detecting the modulated oscillations to obtain the low frequency envelope, shifting the phase of a portion of the modulation frequency 180, mixing saidv low frequency envelope with said portion of the modulating frequency to obtain a signal which varies in amplitude in accordance with the properties of said pieces, utilizing said signal to control the firing of a gaseous discharge device, the firing of said gaseous discharge devicew in turn controlling the operation of a relay.

2. Apparatus for comparing the metallurgical and physical properties of metal pieces according to the correlation ofY said metallurgical and physical properties with the core losses of -said pieces at-a fixed frequency, which comprises a first oscillatory circuit having a coil as part thereof, the electrical characteristicsof said coil being varied in accordance with said core losses of said metal pieces when placed in the electrical eld thereof, a second oscillatory circuit operating at a lower frequency than that of said first oscillatory circuit, a modulator. to modulate said first oscillatory circuit at the frequency of said second oscillatory circuit, a rectier to detect the output of said first oscillatory circuit to obtain the modulation envelope, a phase shift circuit to shift the phase of a portion of the output of said second oscillatory circuit a mixer circuit to mix said modulation envelope with said portion, a gaseous discharge deviceyconnected to the output of said mixer circuit, and a relay connected to be operated by the ring of said gaseous discharge device.

ESTLE RAY MANN. HAROLD EDWARD BESTE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED s'rA'rEs PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 21,927 Brace et al Oct. 21, 194

1,943,619 Mudge et al. Jan. 16, 1934 1,984,465 Dana Dec. 18, 1934 1,996,906 De Lanty Apr. 9, 1935 2,070,666 Llewellyn Feb. 16, 1937 2,176,973 Bowman-Manifold Oct. 24, 1939 2,186,388 Moritz, J'r Jan. 9, 1940 2,227,505 Kummerer Jan. 7, 1941 2,237,254 Broekhuysen Apr. 1, 1941 2,267,884 f Zuschlag Dec. 30,1941 2,280,226 Firestone Apr. 21, 1942 2,285,152 Firestone June 2, 1942 2,329,811 Zuschlag Sept. 21, 1943 2,355,363 Christaldi Aug. 8, 1944 2,374,666 Cunniif May 1, 1945 

